These actors have more to worry about than flubbed lines, missed cues or a temperamental audience. The performers who sign up to play roles for the Boulder-based Arts in the Open troupe face a set of challenges that would feel more familiar to a public park ranger than a seasoned thespian. Any given show can be affected by nasty weather conditions, mountain bikers and hikers. Roving wildlife may be in the mood to share the stage.

"Everything and anything can happen," said Matthew Davis, artistic director for Arts in the Open. "We're out in the open on public trails. Dogs often run through our scenes. We have to shut down or move for lightning. We had a bear in one of our scene locations. The Parks and Rec service quarantined the area ... It's totally a different beast."

All of these factors are accepted consequences of operating a theater troupe that uses the unsheltered public trails of Boulder's Chautauqua Park as its stage. As its name suggests, the Arts in the Open theater company presents its art in the unspoiled, unsheltered setting of the outdoors. Audience members report to a set location — usually a picnic shelter in Chautauqua — and a representative from the company leads them to the first scene location along the trail.

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From there, a troupe of about five or six actors perform with little in the way of props or scenery on specific sites along the trails. No backstage offers shelter between scenes. The only lighting and sound effects come from the surrounding elements. If a scene calls for a chair, the actors will often use a nearby boulder. Any set pieces must be portable enough to lug up a mountain trail.

From left, Emily Kurland, Karin Carr, Jillian J. Price and Steven Hartman at Chautauqua Park as part of an Arts in the Open production of "Goldilocks." (Matthew Davis / Courtesy Arts in the Open)

After the company completes their first scene, they scurry up the trail ahead of the audience and prep for the show's conclusion at another locale on the route. As Davis points out, the actors are usually running to their second location to keep ahead of the audience. It all makes for a very different brand of theater, one uniquely tailored to an audience that's just as enchanted by nature as it is by the performing arts.

"So many people in Colorado love the outdoors and love art," Davis said. "The one complaint I've received is that the hike wasn't long enough," he added, explaining that the standard two-mile hike of a performance isn't always rugged enough to please local nature lovers.

Davis has found his own ideal marriage of arts and nature since starting with the troupe five years ago. After studying theater and performance in the formal setting of a university, the Arts in the Open troupe offered an entirely different route to creative expression.

"I've absolutely fell in love with it. It's so unique," Davis said. "Basically, we get to pay the cast and crew to go outside and play pretend in the forest. He added, "You never know exactly what's going to happen."

The lure of the outdoors and the arts is part of what's kept Davis involved for five years, and it's also pushed him to work toward independence for the troupe. This year, Arts in the Open officially split from Theater Hikes, its former parent organization, located in Chicago. The move will allow the organization's administrators to apply for arts funding through the state of Colorado, just as it will open the door to grow the organization in new ways.

"We're basically doing the same kinds of things we were doing before, with a little bit more vision toward teaching," Davis said.

Indeed, the stunning setting of the Front Range is only part of the appeal of the company for Davis, who also has extensive experience as a teacher in elementary education. A large part of the mission of Arts in the Open is education — one of the troupe's two summer shows is geared toward the youngest theatergoers, and the setting offers a different kind of entrance into the arts for children who aren't necessarily ready to sit through an entire show at, for example, the Dairy Arts Center.

In addition to their regular presence at Chautauqua, the troupe has performed at locations across the Front Range, often as a part of an education initiative.

"We've performed at the Denver Botanic Gardens, we've done school shows, we're performing this summer for an after-school program," he said. "Basically we can perform anywhere."

This month's production of "Goldilocks" draws on a well-worn fairy tale for its basic plot and content. Even so, the show, written by local playwright and teaching artist Patty Murtha, is designed to engage young theatergoers in a fashion that fits the dynamic of the troupe. Along with wordplay and puns, the production seeks to keep even the youngest crowd members invested.

"It's set up in a way that we can easily do it on the trail," Davis said. "She's made a lot of references to different pop culture elements, and there are also jokes for adults."

"Goldilocks" is currently sold out, but Davis said the company is working on adding more performances.

The troupe's newfound independence doesn't mean they've set aside their commitment to providing programming for older theatergoers. Past productions have included outdoor takes on Shakespeare and horror staples like "Dracula" and "Frankenstein." The second show of this summer season, an original work titled "The Treasures of Toothless Jack," by Joaquin Aviña, will follow a "Choose Your Own Adventure" structure, with audience members opting for specific plot points and watching the drama unfurl in unique ways. It's a brand of experimentation that aligns well with the unique dynamic of the company.

Davis insists that he wants to continue that push toward the unexplored as the troupe tests out its new status as an independent nonprofit.

The titular arts in the open doesn't even have to be only theater, he added.

"I'd love to do a musical hike where people can bring their own instruments. I'd like to maybe do a photo hike in the future, or painting on the trail," he said. "I'd like to expand what our idea of arts is."

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